Collapsible wheelchair

ABSTRACT

1. A COLLAPSIBLE WHEELCHAIR COMPRISING: A PAIR OF SIDE RAIL MEMBERS, A PAIR OF END RAIL MEMBERS HAVING A PIVOTAL CONNECTION WITH SAID SIDE RAIL MEMBERS AND ADAPTED TO COLLAPSE FOR COLLAPSING SAID SIDE RAIL MEMBERS TOWARD ONE ANOTHER, SAID PAIR OF END RAIL MEMBERS BEING ADAPTED TO COMPLETE A SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR FRAME WITH SAID SIDE RAIL MEMBERS IN EXTENDED POSITION, A SEAT MEMBER FOR REMOVABLE POSITIONING UPON THE SAID SIDE RAIL MEMBERS AND END RAIL MEMBERS AND NORMALLY HOLDING SAID RAIL MEMBERS IN SAID EXTENDED POSITION, SAID SEAT MEMBER WHEN THUS POSITIONED ON SAID FRAME HAVING A LOW PROFILE AND AN UPPER SURFACE AT SEAT HEIGHT ABOVE THE GROUND ADAPTING THE SAME FOR CARRYING THE WEIGHT OF THE USER AND ENABLING THE USER TO STRADDLE SAID SEAT MEMBER AND SLIDE ON AND OFF SAID SEAT MEMBER, SAID SEAT MEMBER WHEN REMOVED ALLOWING COLLAPSE OF THE SAID SIDE RAIL MEMBERS TOWARD ONE ANOTHER, WHEEL MEANS ATTACHED TO SAID FRAME FOR SUPPORTING SAID FRAME IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL PLANE AND SAID SEAT MEMBER COMPRISING A CUSHION CONCAVELY DEPRESSED BETWEEN ENDS THEREOF WHEREBY TO PROVIDE A SADDLE CONFIGURATION.   D R A W I N G

United States Patent 1 Falkenberg Oct. 1, 1974 COLLAPSIBLE WHEELCHAIR[76] Inventor: Norman W. Falkenberg, l 1406 S.W.

Royal Villa Dr., Tigard, Oreg. 97223 [22] Filed: July 6, 1971 [2]] Appl.No.: 159,808

[52] US. Cl 280/42, 280/79.2, 297/DlG. 4, 297/195 [51] Int. Cl B62b 3/02[58] Field of Search 280/36 B, 79.2, 42; 297/DIG. 4, I95

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS l,675,375 7/1928 Netschcrt280/42 2,486,0l5 l0/l949 Everest et al. 280/36 B 2,632,654 3/l953Cornish 280/42 2,649,309 8/l953 Deissner 280/42 3,057,638 l0/l962 Floyd280/79.2

Primary Examiner-Leo Friaglia Assistant ExaminerDavid M. Mitchell [5 7]ABSTRACT A collapsible wheelchair for a person having at least partialuse of one or both legs includes a removable cushion supported by aframe comprising a pair of side rails, and a pair of end rails which maybe folded between the side rails upon removal of the cushion. Thewheelchair is provided with a pair of forward swivel wheels or casterswhich facilitate steering by the user.

12 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures MENTED W 1 i974 NORMAN w. FALKENBERGINVENTOR I BUCKHORN, BLORE, KLARQUIST & SPARKMAN ATTORNEYS PAIENTEDBETIm4 3.838.869

am an! a? NORMAN W. FALKENBERG INVENTOR BUCKHORN, BLORE, KLARQUIST &SPARKMAN ATTORNEYS 1 COLLAPSIBLE WHEELCHAIR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONConventional wheelchair constructions tend to be cumbersome and restrictthe users mobility, particularly in situations where the wheelchair mustbe temporarily stored. Thus, in the case of vehicles for private orpublic transportation, public gathering places, business offices, etc.,where conventional seating is provided, transfer of the individual toand from the wheelchair can be difficult. Also, convenient storage forthe wheelchair is not always available.

Moreover, a conventional wheelchair is usually propelled by hand, whichmay result in soiling the hands of the user while also limiting the useof the hands for other purposes. Furthermore, in some instances awheelchair user may have limited use of his hands or may haveinsufficient strength to propel himself in this manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In many cases, the individual employing awheelchair may have limited use of one or both legs and feet, althoughhe may not be able to walk. For instance, knee joint movement may berestricted, requiring a sitting position, but at the same time theindividual may have some strength in the leg muscles allowing a certainamount of motion in this area.

According to the present invention, a wheelchair provides relativelycomplete mobility for an individual having at least partial use of oneor both legs. The wheelchair according to the present invention includesside rail members, and end rail members therebetween, the rail memberstogether comprising a rectangular frame upon which a seat member issupported. The frame in turn is supported by plural wheel meansdesirably including swivel attached wheel means. Upon re moval of theseat member, the end rail members can be folded for collapsing the siderail members toward one another thereby forming a small, lightweightpackage.

The wheelchair seat member desirably comprises a cushion which isconcavely depressed between the front and rear of the cushion, toprovide a saddle-like configuration. The cushion is also formed with araised or gripping surface assuring an over-all frictional or nonslipcontact between the wheelchairs occupant and the cushion, whereby footpropulsion is facilitated. A frame carrying means is desirably locatedbetween end rail members whereby, upon removal of the cushion, thewheelchair user may raise the wheelchair for moving or storage while atthe same time collapsing the wheelchair.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide animproved collapsible wheelchair adapted for foot propulsion by onehaving at least limited use of one or both legs.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improvedwheelchair oflightweight construction which is adapted for completemanipulation and handling by the user thereof.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improvedcollapsible wheelchair of small proportions and lightweight constructionwhich can be moved by the occupant over small rises such as curbs,shallow stairs, and the like.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improvedcollapsible wheelchair having a chairlevel seat and which is adapted forfacilitating the transfer of an individual between such wheelchair andother seating means.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improvedcollapsible wheelchair which is leg operated or propelled, and which iseasily steered by the occupant thereof.

The subject matter which I regard as my invention is particularlypointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of thisspecification. The invention, however, both as to organization andmethod of operation, together with further advantages and objectsthereof, may best be understood by reference to the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings whereinlike reference characters refer to like elements.

DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a collapsible wheelchairaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of such wheelchair in a partially collapsedcondition.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view, partly broken away, of the wheelchairaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an end view of a collapsible wheelchair according to thepresent invention, partially broken away to illustrate both front andrear wheels thereof in their collapsed and noncollapsed condition.

FIG. 5 is a partially broken away plan view of a collapsible wheelchairaccording to the present invention, further illustrating, in phantom, anend rail member, and wheel positions for the collapsed configuration.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional detail of a vertical wheel support rod orshaft which may be considered as taken from the plane of the left-handfront wheel, as viewed in FIG. 4, looking to the right, with the wheelfork swiveled through DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to the drawings,the wheelchair according to the present invention comprises a horizontalframe including side rail members 10 and 12, as well as end rail membersgenerally indicated at 14 and 15. In particular, each side rail member10' comprises a steel angle having a horizontal flange 16 and a verticalflange 18, with the horizontal flange being inwardly directed of theframe.

The horizontal flange 16 of each side rail member is welded to a sleeve20 disposed upon a vertical rod or shaft 22 and secured thereto againstrotation or vertical movement by means of a set screw 24. (See FIG. 6)Also received upon shaft 22 are sleeves 26 and 28, pivotable upon shaft22 above and below the sleeve 20. These sleeves 26 and 28 are weldedrespectively to upper rail 30 and lower rail 32, for example, of endrail member 14. The horizontal flanges of end rails 30 and 32 aredirected inwardly of the frame while the vertical flanges are directedrespectively upwardly and downwardly. Note that sleeve 26 and rail 30are supported for rotation above sleeve 20, while rail 32 together withsleeve 28, which also pivot with respect to the same shaft, provide abracing function.

The rail members 14 and 15 each centrally include a hinge 34 securedbetween halves of rails 30 and 32,

rendering the rail members 14 and 15 foldable inwardly towards oneanother to positions between side rail members and 12. In folding, eachend rail member pivots about a shaft 22 (or 22) and about the axis ofthe hinge 34, for collapsing or drawing together the side rail members10 and 12. The wheelchair with the end rail members folded inwardly isillustrated in FIG. 2. In the folded or collapsed condition, thewheelchair is adapted to be conveniently stored in a limited space, forexample, on the floor in front of an automobile seat, under an officedesk, or the like. The wheelchair includes a carrying means or strap 36in the form of a webbed belt secured at each end to the two halves of anend rail 32. For instance, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the strap 36 isriveted to the horizontal flange of end rail 32 on either side of theturning axis of hinge 34. As hereinafter more fully explained, thewheelchair collapses upon being lifted via the strap 36 since the strapthen pulls the end rail members 14 and 15 inwardly toward one another.Rail 32 provides a bracing function to support rail 30 and hinge 34 andsupport the weight above the hinge.

Each of the vertical shafts 22 (or 22) is provided with a fork carryinga wheel for supporting the wheelchair. In the case of the rear wheels 38and 40, the forks 42 are permanently welded to the supporting shafts 22for maintaining the plane of rotation of the wheels substantiallycoincident with side rail members 10 and 12. The rear supporting shafts22 are also secured against rotation by means ofa set screw identical toscrew 24 as illustrated in FIG. 6. The rear construction, including theend rail member 15, the shafts 22', and their pivotal interconnection,is in general substantially the same as shown in FIG. 6, except for thefact that a nonpivoting fork is carried by each shaft 22. The horizontalaxis of rotation of wheels 38 and 40 is also suitably aligned with,i.e., intersects, the vertical axis of shafts 22 extended.

Forward wheels 44 and 46 are mounted on pivoting or swiveling forks 48supported upon a shaft 22 in each case by means of bearings 50 having apress fit upon the shaft and within the upper barrel portion 52 of eachfork 48. Also the fork is curved from the vertical axis ofthe shaft 22whereby the axis or hub of each forward wheel 44 and 46 is offset fromthe axis of the shaft 22 extended. The front wheels 44 and 46 operate incaster fashion whereby the direction taken by the wheelchair is easilycontrollable by the person seated thereon.

Each ofthe Wheels 38, 40, 44 and 46 is suitably a rubber-tired, weldedsteel wheel of spoked construction. The respective forks are adapted toreceive 10-inch rear wheels and 8-inch forward wheels illustrated in thedrawings hereof. However, a smaller wheel size may be substituted ifdesired. Thus, 8-inch rear wheels and 6- inch forward wheels may besubstituted.

In the case of the rear wheels, angular braces 54 are welded betweenshaft 22 at the top of fork42, and the underside of side rail members 10and 12. Also, angular braces 56 are similarly disposed between shafts22, just above barrel portion 52, and the underside of side rail members10 and 12. In each case, the braces 54 and 56 are secured to thehorizontal flanges of side rail members l0 and 12 by means of metalscrews 58 passing through matching holes in the horizontal flange of theside rail member and engaging a filler bar 60 which is centrally locatedalong the top of each such horizontal flange for about two-thirds thelength thereof. The filler bars 60 provide a platform for receiving aseat member at the same level as the horizontal flanges of end rails 30.

A seat member is received upon and within the rectangular frame providedby the respective rail members in their normal or extended position.This seat member comprises a rectangular cushion 62 resting upon thefiller bars and the horizontal flanges of end rails 30. The cushion isalso of such size as to be just received within the vertical flanges ofthe side and end rail members whereby the cushion is accuratelypositioned and the rail members are held in their extended ornoncollapsed condition. The cushion 62 is hard-backed to provide seatsupport, and, of course, is supplied internally with a filler materialsuch as rubber foam located above the backing material. The cushionsupper exte rior is provided with a gripping surface of a raised orpleated plastic material for optimizing the friction or traction betweensuch cushion and the user. For instance, the top of the cushion isformed with a plurality of horizontal pleats 64, and also in general hasa raised, rivet-like, rough surface. The cushion is centrally concave orindented as illustrated at 66 approximately midway between the portionsof the cushion adjacent the end rail members. This concavity startsalmost immediately at the ends of the cushion and reaches the maximumdepression centrally of the cushion to provide a saddle-likeconfiguration for insuring the correct position of the user whilehelping avoid relative movement of the wheelchair and the user when hepropels himself. The central depression of the cushion is deepest alongthe side edges. The cushion also suitably has a carrying loop 68 securedat one end thereof which may be employed for removing and carrying thecushion.

The wheelchair according to the present invention is primarily designedfor persons having limited, but not total, use of one or both legs. Withany use of one leg and one foot, the occupant can rest in a seatedposition, straddling cushion 62, and propel himself forwardly (to theleft as the wheelchairis viewed in FIG. 1) by pushing rearwardly withhis foot on the ground or floor. Steering is, of course, accomplished bysideways propulsion whereby the forward wheels 44 and 46 are swiveled tothe degree desired. The forward wheel 44 is illustrated in FIG. 3 in itsmaximum reverse swiveled position, and in phantom at 49 in its normalposition. The wheelchair may be reversed and backed whereby the frontwheels will take the position illustrated in full line in-FIG. 3. Thismode of operation is suitable for passing over slight falls or rises,such as curbs, shallow stairs, and the like, whereby the occupant mayback up to the stair and raise the rear wheel upwardly, lifting the rearportion of the wheelchair by hand up or down to the next level, whilestill retaining foot contact with a floor surface. The wheelchair ispropelled by the use of foot and leg until the rear wheels approach therise or fall, and then the latter are urged thereover. In normaloperation, however, the wheelchair is impelled to the left asillustrated in FIG. 1, for providing the maximum control over thedirection of movement.

The occupant may easily transfer or be transferred from the wheelchairto a conventional chair, automobile seat, or the like, by shifting orsliding offof the wheelchair according to the present invention and ontothe other seat. The cushion 62 is therefore disposed at conventionalchair level. It is then frequently desirable and necessary that thewheelchair be collapsed for storage, such as in the case of transfer toan automobile. After the occupant has transferred from the wheelchair,the cushion 62 is grasped by means of loop 68 and removed from theframe. Then, strap 36 is grasped and the wheelchair is lifted into theautomobile. Since the structure is of quite light construction, thestructure is easily lifted by the average person. As the strap 36 islifted, the hinges 34 are pulled inwardly, and the end rail members arefolded between the side rail members, while at the same time collapsingthe side rail members toward one another as shown in FIG. 2.

The position of strap 36 in urging the end rail members toward oneanother is further illustrated in phantom in FIG. 3. The wheelchair inflattened or collapsed condition is quite small and is easilyaccommodated on the floor in front of the front passenger seat of anautomobile while such seat is occupied by the wheelchair user. Ofcourse, the wheelchair in collapsed condition is easily accommodated inany other location, for instance on a train or other means of publictransportation, or under a desk or the like. When the wheelchair is inuse, the strap 36 is pulled to a more or less level suspended conditionfrom the hinge locations. See FIG. 6, for example.

The relative width of the wheelchair in collapsed and uncollapsedcondition is illustrated in FIG. 4 where the dimension R illustrates thefull centerline-tocenterline wheel distance during normal usage while Cillustrates the corresponding dimension for the wheelchair in thecollapsed condition. FIG. 4 is partially broken away whereby the forwardwheels are illustrated in the expanded and collapsed condition in theforeground at the left in FIG. 4, while the rear wheels are illustratedin fully expanded and collapsed condition at the righthand side of FIG.4, it being understood the wheels are aligned front to rear in thisfigure. The rear wheels in nonexpanded and collapsed positions are alsoillustrated respectively in full line and in phantom in FIG. 5.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention,it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes andmodifications may be made without departing from my invention in itsbroader aspects. I therefore intend the appended claims to cover allsuch changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scopeof my invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A collapsible wheelchair comprising:

a pair of side rail members,

a pair of end rail members having a pivotal connection with said siderail members and adapted to collapse for collapsing said side railmembers toward one another,

said pair of end rail members being adapted to complete a substantiallyrectangular frame with said side rail members in extended position,

a seat member for removable positioning upon the said side rail membersand end rail members and normally holding said rail members in saidextended position, said seat member when thus positioned on said framehaving a low profile and an upper surface at seat height above theground adapting the same for carrying the weight of the user andenabling the user to straddle said seat member and slide on and off saidseat member, said seat member when removed allowing collapse of the saidside rail members toward one another,

wheel means attached to said frame for support ing said frame in asubstantially horizontal plane and said seat member comprising a cushionconcavely depressed between ends thereof whereby to provide a saddleconfiguration.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said seat member isfurther provided with an end strap for carrying the same.

3. A collapsible wheelchair comprising:

a pair of side rail members,

a pair of end rail members pivotally connected to said side rail membersfor joining said side rail members, said end rail members extendingbetween spaced locations on one side rail member and correspondinglocations on the other side rail member to complete a rectangular frametherewith,

a seat member for removable positioning within said rectangular framecomposed of said side rail members and said end rail members,

said end rail members being centrally hinged for folding inwardly towardone another between said side rail members and collapsing said side railmembers toward one another with said seat member removed,

wherein each end rail member comprises a first end rail pivotallyconnected to said side rail members, said end rail members beingcentrally hinged by a hinge means separating first and second portionsof said first end rail, and a second end rail comprising a pair ofbracing means between said hinge means and said side rail members, saidbracing means being pivotable with respect to said side rail members,

and wheel means attached to ones of said rail members for supportingsaid frame, including a pair of swivel attached wheel means.

4. The wheelchair according to claim 3 including corner shafts securedto said side rail members and about which said first and second rails ofsaid end rail member pivot.

5. A collapsible wheelchair comprising:

a pair of side rail members,

a pair of end rail members pivotally connected to said side rail membersfor joining said side rail members, said end rail members extendingbetween spaced locations on one side rail member and correspondinglocations on the other side rail member to complete a rectangular frametherewith,

a seat member for removable positioning within said rectangular framecomposed of said side rail members and said end rail members,

said end rail members being centrally hinged for folding inwardly towardone another between said side rail members and collapsing said side railmembers toward one another with said seat member removed,

and wheel means attached to ones of said rail members forsupporting'said frame, including a pair of swivel attached wheel means,

wherein said wheel means are located at corners of said frame and havevertical support shafts joined to ends of said side rail members, saidend rail members being pivotable at ends thereof upon said shafts.

6. The wheelchair according to claim 5 wherein said end rail membersinclude a first rail pivoted upon two adjacent support shafts at thesame end of the frame,

and a second rail, juxtaposed with respect to the first, pivoted uponthe same two shafts,

and wherein said end rail members are centrally hinged by common hingemeans joined to both said first rail and said second rail, said hingemeans being provided with a vertical hinging axis parallel to the axisof said support shafts.

7. The wheelchair according to claim 6 wherein said first and secondrails are pivoted upon said shafts respectively above and below thelocation where said shafts are joined to said side rail members.

8. A collapsible wheelchair comprising:

a pair of side rail members,

a pair of end rail members pivotally connected to said side rail membersfor joining said side rail members, said end rail members extendingbetween spaced locations on one side rail member and correspondinglocations on the other side rail member to complete a rectangular frametherewith,

a seat member for removable positioning within said rectangular framecomposed of said side rail members and said end rail members,

said end rail members being centrally hinged for folding inwardly towardone another between said side rail members and collapsing said side railmembers toward one another with said seat member removed,

wherein said side rail members and said end rail members each comprisean inwardly facing angle comprising a vertical flange and a horizontalflange wherein said seat member is adapted to rest upon said horizontalflanges and lock said frame in its noncollapsed position,

and wheel means attached to ones of said rail members for supportingsaid frame, including a pair of swivel attached wheel means.

9. A collapsible wheelchair comprising:

a pair of side rail members,

a pair of end rail members pivotally connected to said side rail membersfor joining said side rail members, said end rail members extendingbetween spaced locations on one side rail member and correspondinglocations on the other side rail member to complete a rectangular frametherewith,

a seat member for removable positioning within said rectangular framecomposed of said side rail members and said end rail members,

said end rail members being centrally hinged for folding inwardly towardone another between said side rail members and collapsing said side railmembers toward one another with said seat member removed,

and wheel means attached to ones of said rail members for supportingsaid frame, including a pair of swivel attached wheel means,

wherein said wheel means are located at corners of said frame and havevertical support shafts, said end rail members being rotatable about theaxes of said vertical support shafts and supported for such rotation bysaid support shafts.

10. A collapsible wheelchair comprising:

a pair of side rail members,

a pair of end rail members having a pivotal connection with said siderail members and adapted to collapse for collapsing said rail memberstoward one another,

said pair of end rail members being adapted to complete a substantiallyrectangular frame with said side rail members in extended position,

a seat member for removable positioning upon the said side rail membersand end rail members and normally holding said rail members in saidextended position, said seat member when thus positioned on said framehaving a low profile and an upper surface at seat height above theground adapting the same for carrying the weight of the user andenabling the user to straddle said seat member and slide on the off saidseat member, said seat member when removed allowing collapse of the saidside rail members toward one another,

and wheel means attached to said frame for supporting said frame in asubstantially horizontal plane,

wherein said wheel means are located at corners of said frame and havevertical support shafts, said end rail members being rotatable about theaxes of said vertical support shafts and suported for such rotation bysaid support shafts.

11. The wheelchair according to claim 10 wherein a pair of said wheelmeans are pivotally attached including a pivotable fork and a wheelsupported thereby, the axis of said wheel being offset from the pivotingaxis of said fork to provide a caster-like configuration.

12. The wheelchair according to claim 10 further in cluding strap meanssecured between said end rail members adapted for collapsing andcarrying said wheelchair upon removal of said seat member by pullingsaid end rail members toward one another.

l l= l l

